Gender Reveals: Logics of Exposure and Trans* Narratives

This talk discusses how “the reveal” is a structuring mechanism and common trope in trans narratives across genres. I examine “the reveal” as a visuo-narrative device often deployed in popular media to elicit heightened affects like shock, disgust, excitement, or contempt. In this talk, I trace the development of gender reveals from early silent films to more contemporary texts like Jen Wang’s graphic novel   The Prince and the Dressmaker and the show   Pose to argue that the reveal is attached to ideas of visibility and is one expression of gender-based violence. Ultimately, I argue that the logic of reveals does not, in fact, reveal knowledge of trans bodies but rather shows the reproduction of cissexism itself.